How to set a new PDC in an Active Directory

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ron
  • Start date Start date
R

Ron

Hi,
I have an active directory within a domain (Test).
My PDC is going to "die" soon (I'm hearing the hard drive)
I set a an additional domain controller and now I would
like to shut down my old PDC and have the users
authenticate against the new domain controller.
I shut down the good old PDC and now users can't find a
domain to authenticate with...
Help...

Thanks,
Ron
 
Hi,
I have an active directory within a domain (Test).
My PDC is going to "die" soon (I'm hearing the hard drive)
I set a an additional domain controller and now I would
like to shut down my old PDC and have the users
authenticate against the new domain controller.
I shut down the good old PDC and now users can't find a
domain to authenticate with...
Help...

Thanks,
Ron
Click to expand...

Make the new DC a Global Catalog Server.
If you can bring up the old PC, transfer all the FSMO roles to the new DC.
If you can bring it back online, seize all the roles.

See tips 3294 and 2728 in the 'Tips & Tricks' at http://www.jsiinc.com

Jerold Schulman
Windows: General MVP
JSI, Inc.
http://www.jsiinc.com
 
Ron,

Just a couple of things: make sure that the second DC is also a Global
Catalog Server. Make sure that DNS is still available. If the dying DC was
DNS then you need to make the new DC a DNS Server as well. You will also
have to transfer the five FSMO Roles. Now, be careful with this. There are
two situations: one in which you transfer the roles and one in which you
seize the roles. If you have taken the dying DC off of the network and it
is not going to come back then you have to use NTDSUtil to seize the roles.
Once you seize the roles that dying DC can never come back on the network.
If you can temporarily but it back on the network then you can transfer the
roles.

Then there are the other services like DHCP and printing and all of the user
files that might still be on the dying DC ( but I am sure that you have that
already ).

HTH,

Cary
 
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